Defiant Hearts

by Janelle Taylor

  On the thirteenth, news arrived that Montgomery and Mobile had been taken by Federal troops the previous day. Word was, in the North’s opinion, that a cowardly and desperate President Davis was on the run in North Carolina, but southern sources claimed their leader was meeting with his generals and Cabinet to see what could be done to ward off defeat.

  At Appomattox, Lee’s forces had surrendered their flags and weapons, then headed home with heavy hearts and weary bodies and wondering what the future held for a “conquered nation.” Lee had told his followers: “I have done for you all that it was in my power to do. You have done all your duty. Leave the result to God. Go to your homes and resume your occupations. Obey the laws and become as good citizens as you were soldiers.”

  Laura was moved to misty eyes by those words and by imagining how General Lee must have felt when he spoke them.

  A telegram was delivered the following afternoon from Henry Adams in Virginia to let Howard and Laura know that he and Tom were alive and unharmed and should be heading home within a week or two.

  With events occurring so fast, Laura concluded that the almost daily dispatchers must be passing each other while en route, as all soldiers had an extra horse along so a fresh mount would provide for a swift trip.

  Saturday’s messenger brought appalling news to Howard, who hurried to the cabin to reveal it to Laura. “President Lincoln was shot last night by an actor named John Wilkes Booth while he was at Ford’s Theater. And Secretary of State Seward was wounded by Booth’s accomplice.”

  Her gaze widened and her mouth gaped as she heard the incredible news. “Someone tried to assassinate the President?”

  “He’s dead, Laura dear; he died early this morning from his wound. Andrew Johnson has been sworn in as the new leader of our country.”

  “I can hardly believe the President is…dead. Murdered, and in public…” Chills raced over her body and her hands went cold. Her defiant heart raged against such evil; her dazed mind spun with disbelief, with reluctant acceptance. “We were with him in Washington only a few months ago.” I spoke with him before we left; he squeezed my hand and smiled at me and called me a patriot. He’s part of the reason I’m here; I work for him. This can’t be true; it can’t! But she knew it was. “Do you think this horrible event will cause chaos to take over and spoil the peace he struggled to obtain?”

  Howard’s hand crumpled the paper with its disturbing words. “I hope and pray that doesn’t happen, but people everywhere must be stunned and confused. How could something like this happen?”

  “Men can be evil, Father, even men we know.”

  “But Lincoln was the President of the United States of America…”

  “It’s tragic and horrifying, Father, but it’s happened. Our country must carry on without him; peace must not be denied us now.”

  The other piece of news in the dispatch hardly went noticed: Also on Good Friday, Major Robert Anderson raised “over Fort Sumter the same flag he had lowered four years earlier” after the first shots of war were fired.

  News spread fast about the assassination, and the people of Prescott grieved for their lost leader. The church bell tolled once more; at a slower pace this time and with an illusionary sad tone. Residents and visitors milled about in the streets, most dazed into silence. Even the saloons and brothels closed for the day in reverence and respect for the slain Lincoln.

  Soldiers were gathered inside the palisade; they stood at attention, but with heads lowered and hats removed and gazes locked on the ground. The stockade flag was lowered to halfmast, but the Stars and Stripes remained unfurled by wind as if resolved to hang limp in dejection. Even gray clouds hid the sun on this grim occasion. The bugler played Taps, its awesome notes tugging at anguished hearts and causing many to cry openly without shame. An aura of shock filled the area, and little talking was done as most mourned in silence. Those who did speak with others did so in soft and muffled voices.

  Laura stood between her father and uncle during that farewell salute, her gaze fastened to the flag that Lincoln had represented so well for years. She felt drained by the crushing blow and her lingering troubles. She yearned for Jayce, to be held in his arms and comforted, to be told everything would be fine for them and their country.

  Laura glanced at Emmaline who had tears flowing down her cheeks, also in need of her beloved’s solace. She hoped Jayce and Jim received the news about peace and Lincoln’s death from someone they encountered, called off their Indian pursuit, and returned soon.

  Laura attended worship service with her father, Charlotte, Emmaline, and even Jake on Easter Sunday, April sixteenth. She wished her wicked uncle was not sitting beside her in the holy site, as it seemed a desecration of God’s new House.

  Though the Arizona Territory was far from Washington, it was apparent to her that Lincoln’s loss impacted greatly on the lives of many local residents. A special prayer was said by the pastor for the new President and Divine Guidance was invoked.

  During the ensuing week, Laura learned that Durham was conquered; Johnston and Sherman signed an armistice agreement in North Carolina; Lincoln’s funeral was held; Arkansas accepted the Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery; Mosby’s Raiders were disbanded; and scattered skirmishes took place in North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama where news of the peace treaty either hadn’t reached all soldiers or stubborn men were determined to continue their resistance, however futile and costly.

  With the war over, Laura needed answers, and Jayce, still pursuing a hostile band of Indians after fourteen days, was not there to provide them. Since the unit’s whereabouts was unknown, news of the war’s end and the President’s death could not be sent to them, so she assumed Jayce and the others were still ignorant of those awesome and historic events.

  Before dusk that Sunday evening, she had made her decision and she walked to the Wrights’ quarters to speak with Emmaline. She appeared to shock her friend when she asked, “Jayce Durance is a Union spy, isn’t he, Em?”

  “What are you talking about, Laura?”

  “You heard me. We’re friends, Em, so this isn’t fair. The war is over, and Uncle Jake and the others will be arrested as soon as Jim returns, so there’s no reason to keep the truth from me any longer. I’m in love with Jayce, so if he’s not a Union agent, he’s a criminal, and out of my reach.”

  Emmaline paced the floor for a few minutes in deep thought. “I suppose you’re right, Laura, and you are right about him.”

  “In which way, Em: guilty or innocent, criminal or agent?”

  “Jayce Durance is innocent of all crimes and he’s a military agent.”

  Laura closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep tensionreleasing breath. Her heart beat in joy. “You’ve just made me the happiest woman alive. I was so worried about his entanglement with Uncle Jake. It didn’t make sense to me, because Jayce isn’t a bad or foolish man. Jayce doesn’t know about me, does he?” After Emmaline shook her head, Laura asked, “Why did you and Jim keep us a secret from each other?”

  “Orders, Laura; Jim was commanded to keep that secret so you two couldn’t endanger each other’s cover and work.”

  “But we’ve been seen together frequently; that would seem more dangerous than knowing about each other’s involvement.”

  “It couldn’t be helped; your father refused to change your escort.”

  “Is Father totally in the dark about me as I was told?”

  “Yes, but Colonel Adams was told to select Jayce because he was being sent here to watch Galvanized Yankees. Since your father knows Jayce is a Unionist, he felt you were safest with him. My husband tried to tell Colonel Adams it wasn’t wise to assign Jayce to you since he was sent here to work secretly for the Army. Your father didn’t believe his being your escort would jeopardize his identity or assignment. Colonel Adams doesn’t know the extent ofJayce’s mission; he wasn’t told anything about the suspicions concerning his brother. I suppose it’s good that your father thinks so highly of Jayce, co
nsidering your feelings for him. However, have you wondered how Colonel Adams will feel when he learns both of you are working to destroy his brother?”

  “I’ve thought about it many times from my angle, Em, and it worries me. Father will just have to understand I had no choice. The President, God rest his soul, and General Grant begged me to do this favor for them. How could I refuse two of our highest leaders? Besides, I was hoping Uncle Jake was innocent and I would be the one to prove it. You can’t imagine how difficult it’s been for me to be around him knowing what I do.”

  “I’m certain it’s been awful for you. Now, tell me, does Jayce share your romantic feelings?”

  “Yes, we’re going to be married soon.”

  “Are you sure you know him that well, Laura? You haven’t spent much time with him, and marriage is a serious decision, a lifetime commitment.”

  “This news is for your ears alone, Em; Jayce and I knew each other from Richmond. We spent many days together for six months. We were both surprised to find each other here because we were separated before we could say good-bye and share our secrets. Naturally, since we were kept in the dark about each other, we’ve both walked lightly around each other. Knowing him for so long and so well, I couldn’t believe he was a criminal.”

  “You were right. You do realize you must behave…normally and be careful around Jake until Jim and Jayce return and handle this matter.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll play the perfect niece toward him.”

  At one o’clock on Monday, Jake asked Laura to go for a ride with him, and she couldn’t think of a credible excuse not to do so.

  As they rode for over an hour, Laura wondered why they were traveling so far from the fort with wild Indians on the loose and dangerous criminals making raids. She was startled when Jake halted them, seized her reins with one hand, and spoke to her with the other one on his pistol and an icy glare on his face.

  “Would you explain a message I got from a friend back East telling me to beware of my niece because she’s a spy sent here to destroy me?”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Laura gathered her wits in a hurry and tried to bluffhim, “What are you talking about, Uncle Jake? Me, a spy? For whom? Why?”

  “For the Union, Laura dear, so please don’t play innocent with me. I want answers, now, before I lose my patience and forget who you are. It’s obvious you’ve forgotten we’re kin and I mean nothing to you.”

  She saw his eyes darken; then they narrowed in ominous warning. She watched a tic of agitation work rapidly in his jawline, causing whiskers in his beard to wriggle. His intimidating expression drew his thick brows close together and tightened his lips into thin lines. The furrows on his forehead deepened, as did squint creases around his eyes. “I don’t understand, sir. You’re my uncle and I love you. Why would the Union send someone to spy on you, a Union officer? And if they did, why send me, a woman, your niece?”

  “Because they thought I wouldn’t suspect my own niece of betrayal, and I didn’t until I got that warning from my contact back East.”

  As she made a mental notation of “East” instead of the expected “South,” Laura shook her head and feigned a look of total bewilderment. “You aren’t making sense. I have no idea what you’re talking about, sir. Why would the Union be investigating you?”

  “Because of the stolen gold and money, Laura, as you already know.”

  “What stolen gold and money, Uncle Jake?” Keep stressing your kinship and playing the innocent!

  “From the robberies around the fort, my dear, as you already know.”

  “Why would the Union suspect you of such thefts? That’s absurd.”

  “Ah, probing for clues and evidence; you are a clever girl. I warn you, Laura, you will tell the truth, one way or another. How much do you know for certain, and how much do you only suspect? Who sicked you on me and who’s helping you? Is it Major Wright or that brother of mine?”

  Laura stared at him as he spit forth his queries in rapid succession, his tone cold and harsh as he almost shouted them at her. “Have you gone mad, sir? I know you’ve experienced many tragic losses, Uncle Jake, but your words and behavior are frightening me.”

  “You won’t dupe me again, girl. I thought you were different, but I can see you’re your father’s daughter, just as cruel and devious as he is.”

  Laura realized the man was not only bitter and angry, but he also was half-crazed and spiteful. In his wild and desperate state, she couldn’t guess what he was thinking, or feeling, or planning to do whether or not she made a confession. “Are you only doing this to hurt Father?”

  “Is that snakish brother of mine involved in your investigation?”

  “What investigation are you talking about, sir?” she asked, trying her best to sound vexed and frustrated and sad.

  “Like you said recently, the Union owes me, so does the Confederacy. If it was possible, I wish they could both lose this blasted war. Neither one of them is going to have that gold and money; it’s mine, all mine. If those damned Rebels hadn’t of challenged the Union years ago, this wouldn’t have happened. As for that …‘accidental’ fire killing my family, there ain’t no such thing. I know what happened: they mistook Mary and Johnny for Rebels and murdered them. And everybody knows, Grant used reckless assaults to win his battles; he sacrificed my boys’ lives like they were worthless. That’s why the Union suffered so many more casualties than the Rebels. I’m going to take that money and gold and start me a new life somewhere. It can’t be here now because of you and your interference. As for those ex-Rebs who’ve been helping me get rich, I planned to kill ’em after they finished serving me good, but I guess I’ll have to let that pleasure slide since they’re gone.”

  Laura witnessed a near-insane bout of laughter before Jake continued.

  “All of them except Captain Reno really believed I was sending the gold and money back South to help the Confederacy. They were so blind and bitter they couldn’t think or see straight; they were easy to dupe. Oh, there was a contact in Washington and one in the South, but I never sent them a single nugget or coin of my holdings; they didn’t deserve any, and I wasn’t about to support that heap of rabble. And I wasn’t about to let the Union have it, either; they owe me too much. It’s mine, girl, all mine.”

  Laura was astounded. Jacob Adams was a greedy and spiteful man who possessed no loyalty toward either side, nor a conscience! He had instigated the thefts only to become wealthy, to experience a sense of power and victory over deluding both sides and his ignorant cohorts, and to wreak revenge for what he saw as crimes against him. She remained quiet and alert; as long as he kept talking, she kept learning. It also gave her time to try to figure out how to escape or disable him. She couldn’t grab the pistol under her coat because the garment was buttoned and the weapon was snapped inside its holster; and she couldn’t yank a rifle from its sheath and ready it fast enough before he reacted to her threat. For now, all she could do was wait and watch for an opening, and listen.

  “I thought it was strange they would send my own brother here, and I was right. It wasn’t him they were sending, it was you, right?”

  “I’m sorry you’ve gotten yourself entangled in such dangerous crimes and they have you thinking so wildly, Uncle Jake, but I can’t believe you could even imagine for a moment that I’m involved in harming you. Please reconsider your behavior. I’m sure it isn’t too late to return the gold and money and apologize for taking them. Surely after all you’ve endured, they’ll realize you weren’t thinking clearly and they’ll pardon you.”

  “I don’t want no pardon! That gold and money are mine and nobody is taking them away! Not you! Not Howard! Not the Army! You shouldn’t have betrayed me, girl; you shouldn’t go against family like your father did.”

  Despite her uncle’s character flaws, this dark and unpredictable side of him was unknown to her. She had to calm him. “I’m not trying to steal your gold or harm you, Uncle Jake. I—”

  “D
on’t talk to me as if I’m crazy! I’m not. The war is over and I’m heading for a new life, a rich and happy one. I’m sorry you got in my way. Now, I have to deal with you before I leave.”

  “Are you threatening me, Uncle Jake?”

  “I’m afraid you’re going to have a little accident, Laura. Don’t worry, I won’t allow you to suffer; it’ll be quick and easy.”

  “You’re going to…murder me?”

  “I’m afraid I have no choice. I can’t allow you to get in my way.”

  “You do have a choice, Uncle Jake! We can return to the fort right now and straighten out this matter. Father will help you.”

  She saw Jake shake his head, the word murder and her reasoning having no effect on him. “Somebody will come looking for me. You’ll—”

  “Not before we’re long gone and my business with you is finished. I told my aide we were eating supper in town. By the time you’re missed, it will be too late for a search to be worthwhile. After one does begin, I’ll be gone, and they’ll never find me.”

  Laura had no choice except to surrender her weapons; Jake’s pistol was in his grasp and she had no doubt his threat was serious. She watched him toss her rifle and revolver behind bushes, out of her reach and concealed from a passerby’s view. He slipped the noose of a short section of rope over her hands and bound her wrists.

  “Come along, girl, we got us some riding to do before dark.”